OK, no apologising this time… it’s nearly Christmas!  Porlock does Christmas really well and (most of us) are excited about the impending festive season.  There’s so much to see and do here and in surrounding villages.  Kicking off the festivities is Dunster by Candlelight, two really magical evenings of socialising, celebrating and shopping on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 December.  The castle and the water mill are open and the village is illuminated by thousands of candles, it’s quite a sight.  Parking can be a real problem, but organisers have laid on a bus service from Doverhay car park in Porlock.  The first bus leaves Porlock at 4.30pm and takes an hour to make the circular route to Dunster and back (allowing time for boarding, disembarking and traffic, etc).  It then operates each hour until the last bus back at 9.15pm. 

If you still need presents and a good Porlock-style social evening, come along to Porlock Late Night Shopping event on 10 December.  It’s an annual tradition for locals and visitors alike, the highlight of many people’s Christmas..!  Sample delicious food and drink and enjoy the street entertainment while finding those stocking fillers.  The fun starts at 6pm. 

Make a full weekend of it; on Sunday 11 December the Christmas concert at St Dubricius Church includes local singers, local musicians, a children’s nativity tableau, mince pies and mulled wine..!  What a festive treat.  The concert starts at 7.30pm and donations towards the church are welcome.  And if that isn’t enough, come and join in!  Sing up on Sunday 18 December with the traditional carol service, again at St Dubricius Church, this time starting at 6.30pm.
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All this makes me think that maybe I ought to be starting my Christmas cards.  And the wrapping… *gulp*.  Good luck everyone!

Well well, November already!  Bonfire Night in fact, as I write this.  Where does the time go?  We’re in the midst of crunchy leaves and poppy sales here in Porlock.  It really is a wonderful time of year to go for a walk, the plentiful woodlands look gloriously colourful and it’s still possible to find enough sunshine to light up the view.  Having said this, we thought we might be forced to walk, when it was recently announced that funding for the local bus service had been cut and that it was to be cancelled at the end of October..!  We were all incredulous, as there had seemed to be very little notice, there seemed very little room for negotiation and of course a large percentage of the population in West Somerset rely heavily on the buses.  Thankfully, a reprieve was given; temporary for now but with hopes to make it permanent.  Here’s the low-down from the Free Press:
 
“First Bus subsidiary Buses of Somerset was set to cancel its number 10 Minehead-Porlock service and the Minehead 101 town service before a compromise was thrashed out at a private meeting with the company and county and local councils on Monday.  As a result, Buses of Somerset has agreed to operate a reduced joint 10 and 101 service for two months at their own financial risk while Minehead Town Council, Porlock, and Selworthy and Minehead Without parish councils seek funding to support a permanent replacement bus service.  Hailing the scheme as “ground-breaking” and the first of its kind in Somerset, a county council spokesman said the new partnership should secure the future of a key local service.”
 
So, now that we’re all mobile again (for the time being at least), we can make it to some wonderful local events!  Much anticipated is the Exmoor Christmas Gift Fair, held in Porlock Village Hall on the 19th and 20th November. It’s a great opportunity to gather some locally-crafted gifts and catch up with the news over a lovely lunch. 
 
Looking further ahead (dare I mention it’s not long til Christmas?!) there is Porlock Late Night Shopping on Saturday 10 December, a date that many people travel to Porlock for.  Another tradition is the Carol Service at Stoke Pero church, 4pm on Sunday 27 November, and some enjoy walking there (I am reassured there are usually plenty of offers of a lift back to Porlock afterwards..!). 
 
Enjoy November everyone and don’t forget to buy a 2017 diary soon if you haven’t already, you’ll need to start planning your next visit to Sparkhayes camp site soon..!

Ooo, I nearly forgot - Porlock Bay Oysters have new stocks of oysters available for sale in Costcutters, among other places - hooray!